


Hold back the river

by givemelove7



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-08 01:27:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4285419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/givemelove7/pseuds/givemelove7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before." - Willa Cather</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hold back the river

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this before any rumors about Sergio's future started, so only Iker's future is uncertain here.

''Raul?'' Iker answered his phone slowly. It wasn't exactly unusual for his former captain to call him but it was usually with an obvious purpose – to wish him happy birthday or good luck before an important match or to speak sweet nothings after a particulary bad loses which couldn't really help but still made Iker feel warm inside because of the effort. But now it was just a regular summer day and Iker was curious about the reason behind Raul's call.

After several minutes of meaningless chit chat Iker interrupted him, curiosity taking the best of him. ''Is there a reason why you called?''. He hoped he didn't sound too rude but Raul was never one for the long conversations about the weather and food and politics – he saved those for the lazy nights filled with good food and wine and physical presence of his friends instead of their voices traveling through the wires.

''Is Sergio there?'' Raul asked.

''No, he went for a dinner. With Guti. ''

''I've been hearing a lot of noise about you leaving Madrid lately...''

''I'm not going anywhere,'' Iker cut him short.

''No one ever thinks they are until they do,'' Raul stated tiredly. Iker wished he could see his face. He sounded a tad bitter, resentful but Raul wasn't the person to hold grudges so it could've been the telephone connection effect. He stayed silent, waiting for Raul to speak again.

''Until you have a week or two to decide which country you're moving to, to pack your whole life. So many things to deal with that it doesn't even fully hit you you're also saying goodbye to him until you walk into the practice and he isn't there. He's always _always_ been there, side by side and suddenly he isn't anymore. And you call because you promised you would, and you skype because you promised you would. Everyday. Every other day. Once a week. And the first time you answer you're just tired when he asks you what's wrong, you know it's over,'' Raul rambled quietly. Iker was wondering if he even realized he was talking to someone at all. It sounded like a conversation with his broken heart. Iker felt his throat tightening and his chest aching for his old friend, his captain. Sergio's smiling face filled his mind, uninvited and dangerous.

''Hold on, Iker. Whatever happens in the future, hold on to him, grip tightly and don't ever let go. Promise me that,'' Raul pleaded. Iker just nodded in the darkness of his own room.

 

* * *

 

''Maria, so good to see you, querida,'' Sergio yelled happily, wrapping Guti in one of his signature hugs.

''Hopefully you'll at least respect me enough on my funeral not to call me that,'' Guti smiled, ruffling Sergio's hair, a habit he kept since his long haired days.

''Actually, I'll be the one to cover JOSE and GUTIERREZ with a spray paint.''

Their friendship was always easy, as natural as breathing. Both shared the same temperament, getting angry in a second and calming down in the next, laughing until there were tears in their eyes, tackling the problems as they arised, without planning ahead or looking behind. Sergio has always reminded Guti of his younger self, bold and optimistic, before the insomnia and depression and the pills kicked in.

''Sergio, I wanted to talk to you about Iker,'' Guti started.

''I thought you would, since you didn't invite him to join us. Either that or we were going to go to a stripclub.''

''I've been reading about his possible departure from Real Madrid more and more everyday. And if I know you well, you're probably in denial, not even thinking about that option. Denying and denying until one day you find yourself on the floor of your new house ( which will never turn into your home) wearing his old Real Madrid shirt with a bottle of tequila in your hands. And you can't help but wonder, you know? If you dealt with it from the beginning together, if it could've worked somehow? If you didn't swipe it under the rug until it was too late and his shirts stopped smelling like him and you forgot how to interpret seven different patterns the wrinkles on his forehead can make.'' Guti sighed at the end, studying his fingers and avoiding Sergio's eyes.

''It wasn't your fault,'' Sergio said, placing a warm hand on Guti's shoulder.

''Maybe. I'll never know for sure. Do you understand why I'm telling you all of this?''

''I do,'' Sergio answered with a determined look on his face. ''I do.''

* * *

 

The house was dark and quiet when Sergio  came home. He stripped quickly trying not to wake Iker up. He wrapped his arms around Iker from behind, placing a little kiss on the nape of his neck. Iker interlaced their fingers and brought them too his lips, kissing all of Sergio's ring tattooes gently and finishing at his wrist.

''Iker...'' Sergio started, his chest tightening. He didn't even know what he was going to say, just that he felt the need to say something.

''I know, nene...'' Iker whispered into the darkness, bringing their joint hands to rest above his heart.


End file.
